By Dennis Wagner | The Republic
Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., may not be able to fire the top federal power-agency administrator in the western United States, but he’s pushing to cut the executive’s pay to just $1 per year.
The unconventional maneuver is aimed at Mark Gabriel, who oversees the Western Area Power Administration, a $1.1 billion government entity that markets electrical energy to utilities throughout the West.
For more than three years, Gabriel has been criticized for his handling of embezzlement within the administration, for alleged whistleblower reprisal and for spurning congressional demands for documents and testimony.
Gosar said this week he is so fed up he wants to use an obscure legal tool — one not used in more than a century — to all but eliminate Gabriel’s salary.
In a letter to colleagues, Gosar wrote:
